Civil Disobedience The Protest Movement Civil Disobedience n

Civil Disobedience The Protest Movement

Civil Disobedience n n The active refusal to obey certain laws or demands of the government or occupying power *Without resorting to physical violence The primary tactic of non violent resistance Used by South Africans against Apartheid, Gandhi against British empire, and during the Civil Rights Movement in the U. S

Thoreau and the Origins of Civil Disobedience n n n The American author Henry David Thoreau coined the term in his 1849 essay “Civil Disobedience”, originally titled “Resistance to Civil Government” Main idea of essay was self reliance (“get off another man’s back”) Don’t physically fight government, but don’t support it, or let it support you if laws are unjust or you do not agree with them

“I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slave’s government also, ”- Thoreau n n Was jailed on numerous occasions for refusing to pay taxes In his essay, Thoreau explained that his refusal to pay taxes was his non violent protest against slavery and the Mexican. American War.

Civil Disobedience and Resistance All over the World n n Mahatma Gandhi enacted the use of civil resistance during India’s struggle for Independence from the British Empire. He outlined rules for nonviolent protest, a few of which are as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. A civil resister should express no anger However, he must sometimes suffer the anger of his opponent He must not retaliate and submit to being arrested He must not insult or curse at his adversary He must also protect his adversary during the course of struggle

Defying Apartheid n n South African leaders Nelson Mandela, Steven Biko, and Desmond Tutu defied an unjust government to win basic rights for all South Africans Mandela served 27 yrs in prison and Biko was murdered in police custody

The Civil Rights Movement “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, ”- Martin Luther King, “Letter From Birmingham Jail” n n Protest during the Civil Rights Movement in the U. S was led by a wide variety of black leaders, most notably Dr. King who had admired and adopted Gandhi’s non violent disobedience tactics He became known for his promotion of the “turn the other cheek” philosophy; but despite his non violent stance he was often struck, kicked, and spat on, and jailed during marches and demonstrations

Notebook Assignment Directions: Please respond to the following bullet points in paragraph form and at least 6 -8 sentences: n n n In your opinion, why is civil disobedience effective? What do you think of Gandhi’s guidelines for non violent protesters? Explain why these rules would be difficult or easy for you to follow? Discuss why retaliation might have been pointless during the Civil Rights Movement. Finally, explain the meaning of the quote, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, ” -Gandhi.